Question about Tindanotae

[Uticensis]

In the unit description for the Tindanotae, it says, “They favored devotion to Heracles, or traditional Gallic war gods like Teutatis; later, in severely reduced numbers due to Roman domination, they would be generally Christian fanatics.”

I find the idea fanatic Christian berserkers really interesting (and amusing), but I was wondering what the source for that is. I know you guys have access to sources that not all of us have (though as a university student I have access to a bunch, too), but I would really like to find the source. It would definitely change my conception of the Galatians, who, up until now, I assumed had been fully assimilated into Greco-Roman culture long before Christianity was a major factor in Asia Minor.

[lobf]

I'd be interested myself.

[Shylence]

ok ok! im quite drunk when i say this......But! i read/heard/listneded that western or albeit "native" Gallic had died out over vulgar soon to be frank latin. that there was still an eastrn Gallic ( as in Galatians of central turkey) language up to around the 4th-6th century AD

and reformed judaism ( christianity) spread through asia minor like hot cakes! ina fat camp.

[Uticensis]

Well, according to Wikipedia, the Galtians were still speaking Gallic in the time of St. Jerome. But its an unsourced statement from Wikipedia. Plus, I've read some Jerome and don't remember him talking about Galatia (my knowledge of Jerome is by no means exhaustive, though). So I take it with a graim of salt.

Anyway, even if they did maintain the language, that's very different from retaining the traditional fighting style. Already by EB's time frame nude fighting was on its way out. Languages, on the other hand, have a tendency of sticking around a long time.

[blitzkrieg80]

In the unit description for the Tindanotae, it says, “They favored devotion to Heracles, or traditional Gallic war gods like Teutatis; later, in severely reduced numbers due to Roman domination, they would be generally Christian fanatics.”

the writer who inserted that did not mean 'nude' fanatics in particular, i think. then it would be a matter of fanaticism / zeal, which is centered on religion, if you look at the quote you mentioned. Christian Gaelic-speakers think highly of themselves in that fashion. also, I am pretty sure that person was referring to Christian fanatics during a Christianized Roman Empire, hmm but then again, upon reevaluation, it seems phrased rather badly unless claiming that Celts were the true / early Christians and fanatic in a time of persecution and that the Christian god was worshipped primarily in the function as war-god? Reminds me of Constantine, but the description is way too vague for my taste.

[Uticensis]

Yeah, the whole Christian war god thing made me think of Constantine too. I took the descirption to mean they still fought in this manner during the Christian Roman Empire. I tried reading it just as vague "fanaticism," but it doesn't make sense that way under the description of fanatic infantry unit.

I know a great deal about the later Empire (more than about EB's time frame), and I have no knowledge of Galatia being a source of soldiers of any sort (Isauria to the south was a major source, though). And though some of the German tribes Rome faced had rather fanatic "berserker"-like soldiers, I don't think the Romans ever utilized them.

So the description confuses me, and I really want to know what it means. Hey, maybe there were Tindanotae fighting beside Constantine or one of his successors but its only recorded in some obscure source somewhere; you never know.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Even when one culture melds with another, they don't completely change. Instead, the two cultures mix into a new one, with one dominent. Even if the Galatians would have appeared Hellenized, the could have still held the romantic concept of a warrior fighting for his god in their minds.

[lobf]

Even when one culture melds with another, they don't completely change. Instead, the two cultures mix into a new one, with one dominent. Even if the Galatians would have appeared Hellenized, the could have still held the romantic concept of a warrior fighting for his god in their minds.

But we're looking for sources on the Tindantotae.

[Uticensis]

Exactly. Anything is possible, but I'm looking for documentation.

[lobf]

So does anyone on the team know where this came from?

[Elmetiacos]

It's another made up word. The Galatian Celts may well have had such warriors, but they didn't go by the name "Tindanotae". The stuff about Christian berserkers, devotion to Herakles-Toutatis and carving words into their flesh (a Viking trick, I think) is likewise fantasy, as is much of the elaboration on the descriptions of Celtic units.